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ben is a smarter supply chain. ben is higher margins. happier customers... everybody wins. logistics. exactly. see you guys tomorrow. we have a lot of breaking news this morning. deadly tour bus crash in new york city. at least 13 are dead. and fears of a nuclear meltdown in japan after an explosion

blows out the walls of a building. housing a reactor. this comes as one report out of japan says almost 10,000 people are unaccounted for in one northeast port town. good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. within this hour we have more alarming news from japan. japanese public broadcaster nhk is reporting at least 9,500 people are unaccounted for in one port town. officially the death toll is at 574 across japan. however, powerful aftershocks continue to shake the region. for is your vooifrps stranded in the hardest hit areas help is on the way as today the first wave of 50 thousand troops has begun arriving by boats and helicopters to those areas. an explosion at one of japan's nuclear power stations explosion you see right there on your screen, it has destroyed a building that houses a reactor. officials are saying that the radiation levels actually have been decreasing. the tsunami caused it to lose

its cooling system and it is raising fears of a meltdown. let's go live now once again to tokyo and to nbc's ian williams. first up, wane to get the name of this port coastal town in which those people are missing. for anyone that's watching and concerned about loved ones, what do you know about the situation? >> it is very difficult to be certain about the numbers missing and numbers unaccounted for. we have seen all sorts of figures in the media here. there's a lot of speculation but i think what we can say with some certainty is the number of dead will certainly rise. at the moment the domestic media is saying 1,300 dead. that's based on the confirmed dead and missing. clearly, there are a lot of uncertainties. relief workers are saying there are areas -- still not have been able to properly access and -- and they still have not been

properly gauge the destruction. they are saying also that perhaps a quarter of a million people are in shelters. have been forced from their homes. even that figure is a little bit vague. so -- clearly, there are a lot of people unaccounted for. have those people lost their lives? it is difficult to tell. i think that the numbers will certainly rise. and what we are seeing from nhk is certainly not implausible, alex. >> yes. in addition to that, the concerns about a nuclear power plant meltdown, how's that being relayed there to the folks in tokyo? is this front and center topic a kind of news? >> reporter: it is. it's being repeated endlessly on the television here. those images. they are pretty scary images. i mean, i was pretty shaken when i saw that explosion. nuclear power plant engulfed in smoke. as i -- as i think have been -- millions of japanese. and the government is trying to

reassure them. it is saying, look, there was an explosion and destroyed the outer wall of the reactor. it didn't affect the inner container where the reactor is. the government's also saying look, it did -- it did release some radiation but the amounts are not significant. and they have been reduced now because of the pressure being relieved from the core. but, you know, japanese people have heard a lot of these stories before. the -- nuclear industry here over the years has not got a great record of transparency or honesty. so i think that people are very worried and there is a certain amount of skepticism. of course, this -- disaster, this incident, if you would like, comes on top of the -- the terrible destruction brought by the tsunami. clearly people are very worried. >> people wondering when is this going to end. okay. ian williams, thank you, from tokyo. as we said the nuclear

reactor in northeast japan is an urgent concern. the radiation leaking is decreasing. i spoke earlier with richard lester from the m.i.t. department of nuclear science and engineering. he put this situation in historical context. >> i think perhaps a more helpful analogy, not reassuring one, but more helpful, is the three mile island nuclear reactor which suffered a partial meltdown in 1979 here in pennsylvania. the fuel in that case did melt, large fraction of the fuel in the core did undergo melting. but it did not release or didn't lead to any significant release of radiation off site. we may be in a situation in japan that might have that consequence. if it did have that consequence, the result would be, of course, very devastating for the reactor

itself. but the -- consequences for the people living in the vicinity would be very minor. >> officials also say that the explosion did not destroy the inner metal casing that houses the reactor. in the words of president obama, the disaster in japan is simply heartbreaking. he spoke from the white house yesterday where he vowed to provide whatever american assistance is needed. the president also discussed his own connection with the now battered nation. >> the japanese people are such close friends of ours and i have such a -- a close personal friendship and connection to the japanese people in part because i grew up in hawaii where i was very familiar with japanese culture, that just makes, you know, our concerns that much more acute. >> american navy carrier headed to japan today to help spearhead the international relief efforts. blue ridge had been docked in singapore and it is one of

several ships the pentagon has ordered to the region. most areas along the u.s. west coast escaped damage from the tsunami. parts of the oregon coast did indeed feel the effects. that includes the coastal town of seaside where residents are back home this morning. many forced to evacuate yesterday. in the town of brookings, docks and several boats were damaged. then heading to california, on the map there, crescent city, fierce waves crashed into that city. that's where one man was swept out to sea and the coast guard says it is likely he will not be found alive. water rush flood the harbor there, destroying 35 boats and ripping off chunks from the wooden docks. marina workers scrambled to secure property in between the surges as best they could. heading south from crescent city the effects were felt along the orange county line. vi >> reporter: officially they called it a tsunami advisory. boats quickly the took to the water checking on the vessels.

the coast guard was stand big just in case. >> we have gotten -- few inches, maybe a half a foot reported here in newport harbor. there has been some activity. >> reporter: as a precaution newport beach elementary school was closed for the day. its playground sits on the sand. to the south, laguna's main beach was also shut down. one of many low-lying spots that could not be counted on to contain any unexpected water. in seal beach police say they, too, had no choice but to keep people away from the water's edge. instead they gathered and watched and waited. as the morning wore on, robby said he became less and less concerned. >> not as much as i was at 4:00 in the morning when some guy came knocking on my door and said get your stuff and get out. my neighbor. >> reporter: the county activated the emergency operation center and along the coast, officials kept the beaches clear. the planned evacuation route is posted up and down ocean street beginning at the san gabriel river.

a plan that has been in place for years. >> for us we were trying to keep people educated and trying to communicate with everybody who did come to watch as to why we closed the beach and pier. and just elicit their participation and is port for our goal to make sure everybody was safe. >> reporter: later in the day, businesses were still closed. employees waited and waited some more. >> i couldn't really tell law the volume is going to be, what the loss will be today. the most important thing is everybody is safe. >> for more on the situation in japan, head to our website, msnbc.com. we have breaking news here out of new york city. we are learning more about the horrific bus crash in the bronx that left at least 13 dead and six critically injured. police are looking for the driver of a tractor trailer that reportedly hit that bus and sent it careening into a highway sign support post. with another good morning to you there on scene.

is that what investigators are saying now, that the tractor trailer actually hit the bus? previously they just thought it had swerved. >> reporter: we are hearing that officials received a 911 call from a motorist who said they saw that tractor trailer cut off the bus which then sent it careening across the highway and into a sign post which then sliced into that bus. you can actually see behind me the bus is still here. it is still laying on its side as it rested after that accident. a few minutes ago we saw investigators walking alongside the top there. officials are telling us that this accident took place shortly before 6:00 this morning. 13 of the 32 passengers were killed. it is possible that the number of faye tatalities could rise. police are looking for the driver of that tractor trailer so they can question them about exactly what happened. they are not certain if it was a factor or the reason for this accident. this bus was coming from the

mohegan sun casino in connecticut, headed to chinatown in manhattan. they have now set up a bereavement center in chinatown for loved ones of the casualties here on this bus. still trying to piece together exactly what happened. we are expecting a press conference here shortly with the deputy mayor and nypd commissioner raymond kelly. he is on scene now and will hopefully have more answers. >> i know you have a news conference to get to. more on the aftershock threats in japan. how long could these continue? can an aftershock be larger than the original quake? we will hear from the earthquake expert next. more outrage from the budget bill that got passed in wisconsin this week. did republicans cheat to make it happen? later the most dangerous cities in the country for spring break. [ female announcer ] think a thick cream is the only way to firm skin?

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we turn now to another developing story at this hour. severe flood and water rising in the northeast. especially in the -- state of new jersey. we have roadways and homes flooded there. the storm dumped up to four inches of rain on communities, wayne and little falls,jers. eric fisher is joining me live from little falls, new jersey, with the latest from there. you know, you don't want to see a lake on the street, you know, you live on, that's for sure. look at that mess. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, alex. it is seeping into all of the communities around -- surrounding neighborhoods here. it has been a difficult 24 hours. this water is not really going anywhere in a hurry. i want to bring you an update this morning. we spoke to the coordinator, the situation in little falls. you are talking about shelters filling up in town. >> absolutely.

our shelter has been accepting people. we have plenty of room in our shelter, people are still coming in. before i left we had three people check in to our shelter and expected to be there throughout. >> reporter: you are talking about the roads, they are a mess. difficult to get around. >> what you see here is difficult in every area. lincoln park, little wayne. >> reporter: you don't expect things to go back to normal until monday morning? >> people can star safely getting back into their houses in little falls monday. >> reporter: fred, thank you for the update. busy morning. we appreciate it. what the neighborhoods look like, it is actually a scary proposition to walk off the sidewalk. water filling this up. dozens of neighborhoods that look like this. this is just the passaic. you head up north, some of the rivers there are starting to

fall like the ramapo. >> what's behind you over your left shoulder? a sign, a trash can? what's that that's parked there? >> it is debris. the water is washing into -- i see an open garage door down the street. it is taking whatever's in people's homes that's not down and bringing it down the street. >> yeah. okay. all right. eric fisher, thank you so much for staying out there for us. appreciate it. aftershocks continue to rumble off the coast of japan. seven quakes registered in the last two hours. including one that measured a magnitude of 6.4. officials say those aftershocks could trigger further tsunamis. urging residents to move to higher ground. dr. charles, professor of geology, good morning, charles. nice to have you here. >> good morning. >> are you surprised about the warnings that they -- you know, come so fast and furiously? i mean are we going to have tsunami warnings repeatedly now?

>> absolutely. they could even eclipse the intensity of the main event and, of course, then they would become the main event. >> as was the case. >> the earthquake itself becomes a foreshock. >> yes. do you worry about a tsunami the size of the one that we are look -- our viewers, you just can't see this video enough. the terror of seeing this. >> horrifying. >> these rolling waves in. is there a chance we would see something that big -- >> again? >> yes, again. >> it is unlikely. normally the -- the normal pat seven for aftershocks to have a diminished effect on any terrain. the fact is in terms of the weakness of the infrastructure it does not take a large earthquake to cause more damage on land. the tsunami effect is governed by other factors, the sea floor. >> if you look at what's happened in this last year, chile, haiti, now this one, go back to 2004, what's going on?

>> the earth, beats to a very different metronome than we are used to. the earth has millions of years. and you can't make any sense out of clusters of events being, you know, any difficulty to come. >> okay. i'm going to ask you something and i don't mean to -- not trying to minimize or make light. they have doomsday scenario folks out there and they are going to say -- >> they love this. >> end of the world is coming. the planet will fall in on itself. >> right. >> give me a reality check there on what's happening with our planet. if it is at risk of just being -- becoming this kind of thing becoming the norm. >> our planet has been operating very happily for 4.5 billion years. i don't expect it will stop very soon. >> that simple? >> yes, that simple. >> doomsday scenarios are rid ridiculous? >> these events have taken place over the course of geological time. if you take that broader view,

these -- p events are insignificant. >> where do you fear the most? that span between aceh and chile last year, turkey earthquakes, that area. very, very volatile. is there one area you look at and you say -- this one is the most likely to erupt next? >> well, that -- that's been the holy grail of seismology is the prediction. of course, we are not there. >> why not? >> no way to predict. too many variables. we cannot monitor the buildup of strain in the earth's crust that is going to allow for prediction of earthquakes. it is just not there. in terms of geography, the entire pacific ocean rim, so-called ring of fire, that's place where the pacific ocean plate is being absorbed into the earth on all boundaries. as such the pacific ocean is essentially shrink in size as the continents encroach. that's going to be where the

earthquakes occur. will is no question about it. >> moved by eight inches in japan. >> yes. these things do happen. >> okay. thank you so much, sir thank you. we are talking politics next. did the gop bend the rules to get the budget bill passed in wisconsin? we are talking with my boys after a break. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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♪ are you having any laughs? ♪ are you getting any loving? ♪ ♪ if other people do, so can you ♪ ♪ have a little joy [ female announcer ] how does your next week look? why not get away and book a royal caribbean cruise at royalcaribbean.com today? this is new video you are about to see. japanese television he vaks vacuation centsen -- evacuation in northern japan. what you are seeing now is debris. at the evacuation center people are checking lists of names. certainly looking for missing loved ones and waiting for news. more than 215,000 people are living in temporary shelters now. it is because of the devastation that you see on your screen. people obviously not able to go anywhere near their homes given the destruction there in japan. high stakes in wisconsin, fallout from the nasty budget

battle. now loom over the political landscape nationwide. governor walker has now signed into law that contentious bill that strips unions of almost all of their collective bargaining rights and now organized labor is vowing to punch back in 2012. my boys are here. i'm happy to say. pat buchanan, republican strategist and msnbc analyst. peter fen. high, guys. good to see you. pat, this bill is now law. that's it. it was passed through as we know some very unusual political maneuvering, shall we say. democrats were not even there when it was passed. here is the question that's been asked since wednesday night. did the gop cheat? >> i think the argument is over whether they gave the proper 24-hour notice before they had an open meeting. and clearly they did not. there's some exceptions you can have a two-hour notice which they did give. that may be the -- decided in the courts. this is the law of wis. it is not going to be overturned. governor walker has a tremendous victory on the national level,

frankly. and the republican party has and a lot of governors and others are looking at them as examples. did he take hits here? he sure did. because i guess it is -- his pole numbers are overturned and the collective bargaining idea of sacrosanct. i will tell you, alex, i think this is -- this is a battle that's going to be fought in mayors' offices, legislatures across the country. quite frankly the republicans are enormously satisfactoried and proud what walker did. >>ing in fact, peter, we can talk about how this bill was passed all day long. ultimately it is now law. so how concerned are emdemocrats one of their strongest voting blocks has taken a big hit? >> they have taken a big hit, alex. but they are angry as hell. the -- the base of the democratic party and folks on the independent side which is absolutely crucial here are also angry. so this is going to energize

democrats and it is going to bring -- it has brought at least temporarily now independence into the fold. as pat said, the numbers have turned you a round. if you -- scott walker would lose if the elections were held today. he would lose. 2-1 polls are showing they don't like this and support collective bargaining. pat is right that this is a victory. but you know, we don't even have to wait to 2012. they have in wisconsin a liberal law. so they have -- >> january, right? good right. there will be monday i don't both sides flowing into that state on -- >> so -- we will see how it shakes out. >> that then, if that's -- that's the anger that's being felt right now, pat, if you have recall elections and the like ultimately in the long run, is this going to help or hurt republican candidates? >> it is going to help republicans if they stay with it. let me saw -- tell why you. what happened to the union, it

was not destroyed but what happened is union dues will no longer be collected by the wisconsin state government from their employees. the union will have to go to the employees every year to be validated every year by the employees. otherwise the union disappears and the unions can get a pay raise above inflation but got to have the approval of the voters. so this, i think, on the broad sense, the republicans have not won the argument because they haven't explained it well. look, this is a fight for the future. republicans believe in it philosophically. democrats with the tactics they used, screaming, drumbeating and having the ledge slgislatures r to illinois, that doesn't sit well with the voters. what will happen is if the economy is going well, republicans will do well, if it is going badly, the republicans will lose and as well will obama. >> peter, you know, the question

to you is have unions been marginalized in terms of power? rallying cries and people upset. look what's happening overall. >> look, had you a reduction in number of union members but the -- what i'm saying is that it is going to energize them. i will make one final point, alex. that is -- i wrote this in a u.s. news piece yesterday. this puts scott walker and others in ideological straitjacket. the american people don't like strict hard ideologs. what they did was over the top. the independent voters are going to -- rise up on that and not like it. >> okay. boys, you will be back. that's a guarantee. thank you so much. see you in a bit. powerful new aftershock has hit a nuclear plant that sustained extensive damage in yesterday's earthquake and tsunamis. officials are planning to distribute iodine to people that live near the reactor in order to counteract the effects of the radiation. nbc's anne thompson is live for

news london. good morning. let's talk about the dispersing of the pills. that has to make people worry. it looks very, very serious. >> well, they are preparing to distribute them, alex. the international atomic energy agency, which is the u.n.'s watch -- atomic watchdog, says that they have been informed by japanese officials that they are preparing to distribute these pills. the stable iodine pills in effect help protect your thyroid and prevent your thyroid from taking in any kind of radioactive iodine. so they are one step -- one medicine you can take if you have been exposed to radioactivity. but at this hour japanese government officials, while they may be planning to distribute pills, they are also trying to calm people in japan. they say that explosion that happened this morning at the

fukushima one power plant, sthed it happened in a building, the building fell apart but the -- the number one reactor which is the reactor that has been giving them great problems, the one that's seeing pressure rise, they say that wasn't damaged. it was protected by its steel envelope and it is okay. that is good news. they also say that the pressure in that reactor has gone down and they say that the radiation in the -- radiation leak from the plant has not increased because of the explosion. still they have expanded the evacuation area around the f fukushima one plant. there is a two plant within ten miles. the evacuation area has been expanded. we are getting mixed messages from the japanese government exact reply what's going on. >> anne, is there an independent agency that will be following all of this?

with that jurisdiction, the iaea to follow -- >> exact. >> i are they on scene? >> i don't know if they are on scene but they are trying to get information from japanese officials. they, too, like the united states government, has offered -- they have offered japan any kind of help it would need in dealing with this situation. but at this hour, it is not known if that help has been accept. >> when you talk about fears of a potential meltdown, anne, how realistic do you think that is? >> that's the $64,000 question, isn't it? >> yes. >> i think -- let's put it this way. any time that you have an earthquake and you have any kind of damage done in a nuclear power plant it is reason for grave concern. on top of it have you this explosion. nobody is pushing the panic button yet. but there is certainly a lot of concern. not only in japan but around the

world as experts watch what is happening and what the japanese do. the biggest problem is that the power got cut off to the cooling systems and those cooling systems are crucial because they send the water into the reactor to cool the fuel and if there isn't enough water and the fuel gets exposed, it can melt and then it -- then rupture and release all kinds of radioactivity into the environment. and that's what they are trying to prevent. >> anne thompson, great journalist and nuclear scientist on the side. thank you very much from london. i'm very impressed. you know your stuff. more on the continued aftershocks in japan. how will people survive the aftermath? [ male announcer ] achievement: embraces mondays.

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if you are just waking up this morning, more alarming news from japan within the past hour.

japanese public broadcaster nhk is reporting at least 9500 people are unaccounted for in one port town. officially the death toll is at 574. powerful aftershocks con to shake that region. for survivors stranded in the hardest hit areas, help is on the way, though. today the first wave of 50,000 troops has begun arriving by boats and helicopters to those areas. an explosion at one of japan's nuclear power stations has destroyed a building that houses a reactor. there you see the explosion there on your screen. officials say that the radiation levels, though, have actually been decreasing. the tsunami following the massive earthquake caused the reactor to lose the cooling system and that's what's raising fears of a potential meltdown. let's go live to an american who was stuck on a train in japan when that quake struck. anthony weiss, american studying in japan. he joins me from tokyo via skype. good morning to you. let's hear your story.

where were you and what happened? >> hi. i was fortunate enough to have just pulled into a station when the, you know, tremors first began. and it seemed like your -- average every day brief little tremor at first. but then it continued. and it began to shake the train more violently. i noticed, you know, fixtures around the station swaying. so while some people exited the train, i decided to stay on just because i was concerned about just falling objects. >> you felt safer unside that train. was it underground, the train that you were on? >> no. this was above ground. so, you know, there was no roof above me. if i got on the platform i would have been under a roof. that was my main concern there. >> that makes sense. i don't know if you heard about reports about train cars that are missing and, of course, fears for the loss of life

because they are able to be found at this point. these were coastal trains. this train that you were on was than along the coast at all? was it in tokyo? where? >> no. this was in the center of tokyo. >> okay. center of tokyo. when you got off that train, what did you see? >> when i got off, the -- somewhere on the platform, there was definitely water leak with water trailing down to the other next platform. a lot of people just sort of -- hanging around and the -- in the -- i guess in the main floor, lobby. waiting for the trains to start again. >> really. waiting for the trains to start again? ann you think about the -- the incredible size of this quake. you are suggesting for some people it was almost just like, you know, this is business as usual. i mean, tokyo gets earthquakes. japan gets earthquakes.

>> right. there was -- there was -- i did not see anyone panicking. everyone pretty much remained calm. you know. lot of people wandered over to -- television screen in the station, you know, watching the news and keeping up with the news. eventually i decided to just -- walk home. and, you know, joined -- i don't know, millions of other people just -- walking home. >> well, anthony weiss, goods to talk with you. we are glad you are fine and safe. and some story you have to tell nonetheless. thank you for joining in. we appreciate that, with skype. for more on what to expect in the days ahead joined live once again by the discovery channel's aton edwards. the author of "preparedness now." with a good morning to you, interesting listening to anthony weiss there. this guy is talking about -- it speaks to the preparedness of the japanese people. >> right. >> that's impressive. >> obviously because they live in the -- right -- in the fire ring which is very active sues mick, you know, seismically

active area. they have to be more prepared. so do we. what i'm doing is looking at this situation now and i'm looking at how we can improve our counter measures for these disasters because, unfortunately, we will experience something similar to this in the near future probably because this is a very active period, i think, that we are going to see major earthquakes. we have to be prepared for it. it is astounding, though. right in tokyo, just remarkable situation. >> we talk about this ring of fire. that's the pacific rim thing. and with california, oregon, vancouver, very active fault lines there. and is that the area that with regard to the united states, you have most concern about? or could it be anywhere? >> no, no. actually can be anywhere. kibt -- even in like central united states where we have the new fault line which could be -- like we have one of the largest earthquakes we ever experienced in recorded history in the united states where the same situation that we see there can

happen here. right there. it could also happen here in new york. i'm very concerned about an earthquake in new york. like again, what -- what's going on in japan is really -- it is a terrible situation but there is a lot we can learn about what we need to do for ourselves here in the united states. >> you bring up a key point for ourselves. how much is earthquake preparedness attributable to what we have to do on our own as individuals, protecting our families and loved ones versus how much the government has to be handling it. >> the government has to -- infrastructurally speaking, the government has to take, you know, enormous -- that's the government's relevant. >> many are we doing it? >> not as best as we could, no. not at all. no. they say that the money is not there. i believe that's wrong. there's plenty of money available to do the things we need to do. we have to protect the people by protecting the infrastructure and that's not happening. also, the people have to protect themselves and really have to recognize that it is their responsibility to do it for themselves. it is not just something they hud -- maybe i shouldn't. maybe i should.

no. it is something you must do. just as -- you put on shoes, you walk out on to the street, you have got to have a preparedness plan. you have to have preparedness equipment. you have to know what to do to get things done. >> don't let complacency set in because it hasn't hit you yet. many thanks. >> thank you. later this morning, why some buildings are still standing following the japanese earthquake. what japan got right in preparing for the earthquakes. we are going to hear from a structural enjinx ear in the next hour. officials from maryland to maine are monitoring the swollen rivers threatening more flooding. dumped five inches of rain. heavy flooding may still be on the way. weather channel's chris warren with more on all of that. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, too, alex. we are going to see flooding through the weekend throughout parts of the northeast. the good news is we should not add much more to it as far as rain goes. taking a look now at the satellite here, where you see the white, that's the snow. we are still seeing snow showers in upper new england here and throughout the great lakes.

little bit of rain showers. really most areas are pretty dry. that's the good news. temperatures will be warming up into the mild category here. new york into the mid 50s. even 60 degrees in washington, d.c. you see up around buffalo, albany, above the freezing marks. wherever we have snow on the ground that will continue to melt. that will add a little bit to the rivers but for the most part, we don't see any major super soaker rain systems moving into the picture here for the northeast. we do, however, in the west have pretty sloppy weather. already starting to see rain moving into northern california. we have a pool of moisture heading in for the first part of the week. much of the northeast not looking too bad. the absolutely gorgeous spots will be in the south. plenty of sunshine, sixth. over into dallas, we will see upper 70s. southwest looking good. that will take us into sunday. we are going to see some wet weather, alex, along the west coast. much of the country will be enjoying a rather pleasant sunday. >> okay. that's one bit of good news. it has been a tough morning.

>> certainly has. >> thanks for the smile. appreciate that. how the u.s. prepared for the threat of a tsunami. we are going to take a look at those tense moments up and down the west coast. ♪ escape definition. ♪ escape compromise. ♪ introducing the most fuel-efficient luxury car available. the radically new... 42 mile per gallon ct hybrid from lexus. ♪ welcome to the darker side of green. ♪ welcome to the darker side of green. [ man ] ♪ trouble ♪ trouble, trouble trouble, trouble ♪ ♪ trouble been doggin' my soul ♪ since the day i was born ♪ worry ♪ oh, worry, worry worry, worry ♪

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>> certainly has. this video coming to us from japan tv. showing japan's prime minister arriving to tour all the damage in japan. he says he is sending 50 thousand troops for rescue and recovery efforts. in the u.s. we watched at the tsunami triggered warnings in hawaii and up and down the west coast. miguel almaguer has more on the impact here at home. >> reporter: in four california counties a state of emergency. more than nine hours after the quake hit japan, the california/oregon border faced the first waves of the tsunami. it swept a 25-year-old man out to sea. he is presumed dead. the destruction was measured across the west coast. >> chaotic. lost everything. my boats, jet skis, everything.

doesn't look good. we can't keep this. it is powerful. >> get to high ground! >> reporter: in santa cruz, california, powerful currents capsized at least six boats and knocked others on their side and some toss flood the harbor. the cleanup lasted hours. >> large waves. >> reporter: to the north in oregon, waves as high as eight feet tall roll waves as high as eight fetal rolled into the small coastal town of seaside. the beaches ordered closed. tsunami warnings jolted many out of bed. >> they woke us up in the middle of the night. everybody was freaking out. >> hawaii was hit first. houses were watched away. boats capsized and docks destroyed. no reports of serious injuries. >> the tsunami and its ripple effect also served as a test. this is earthquake country. >> it does appear they got the

warni warnings. they were reasonably accurate and in general were acted upon in an appropriate responsible way. >> the damage was minimal but for many japan's earthquake was a dark reminder of what could happen here. >> the most dangerous cities in the country for spring break. that story in our next hour so keep it right here. . . there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital's working together, there's a family who can breathe easy, right now. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest healthcare questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers.

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>> take a look at the before and afters. that is soma there. earlier it was another city. different cities along the koes. i believe we're going see the airport there. a sea of mud there and clearly water there along the runways.

pretty dramatic when you are able to look at perspective like this. often we get images from nasa when it comes to flooding, fires and the like. this is being offered up by nhk. makes a point doesn't it? more information on japan, the situation. we will have more on that in a moment. other headlines, beginning with defense witnesses taking the stand as the amanda knox gets underway. she was convicted of killing her british roommate. she is appealing the 2009 verdict. 30 wild fires broke out friday. one of the fires destroyed at least 30 homes. that number could surpass 50. the area has been facing a prolonged drought. a new clue in the fish die-off in southern california. millions of sardines found dead

tested positive for a powerful tox in. well, of course, we will have more on the breaking stories we will continue to have for you. a deadly tour bus crash on i-95. look at all that emergency personnel response. the nuclear melt down fears following the earthquake and sue new mee.

first an earthquake, then a sue ntsunami and now a threat o nuclear power plant melt down. this morning the full extent of the calamity remains unknown. this morning a new york freeway is the scene of a tour bus accident. at least 13 people are dead. good morning, everyone. welcome to msnbc saturday. we're just approaching 11:00 a.m. here on the east coast, 8:00 a.m. in the west. we wil